DUP’s St. George named?

The BBC are reporting that the heroic figure to be bought out to fight the TUV dragon (in the shape of Jim Allister) is likely to be Diane Dodds. I suppose that would make her a female St. George in my analogy. Of course the myth and reality of what happened to St. George differ.

talk about keeping it in the family….Northern politics daily becomes a reflection of the Southern monolith…

pith

Is this the first example of the DUP downgrading an election?

Modernist

So the DUP couldnt find anyone besides a candidate who is married to a member of the party’s core leadership and also lost her seat to Sinn Féin in the last election. They must be clutching at straws looking for ‘Loyal’ candidates at the moment. Is this an attempt to block any possible TUV infiltration of the DUP. I can imagine the hoopla if the DUP selected a candidate who won and then turned TUV . There doesnt seem to be many new green shoots candidates coming through in the DUP party these days

It was Sammy Mc Nally what done it

Probably a high profile enough candidate to do the job with reputation of Deputy Dodsy as a hardliner also a help.

But surely the foot dragging by DUP over Police and Justice is going to keep it a fresh/live issue in the run up to election and Jimbo ( who can be excellent in a debatge ) will take the quareone apart on telly on this issue if he gets a chance.

Tip to DUP: Dont let the quareone on to the same TV program as Jimbo.

Bigger Picture

Sammy,

Surely the whole point is the DUP’s foot dragging actually deprives Jim of arguing that the Shinners are going to get their hands on p&j;, what’s his argument going to be otherwise? they aren’t selling out quick enough for my liking?

Anyway the shinners aren’t really pressing the issue as much these days, in fact, you are probably one of the few to keep on flogging this horse. My advice to you is that if you are determined to find something to attack the DUP with, and show how they may lose out to the TUV, don’t go for the DUP not giving in to SF demands, it is nonsensical.

Pith,

The last time the DUP ran a candidate he wasn’t elected to anything and hadn’t been involved in active politics for 20 years. Surely you meant a step up? How quick we all forget eh

frustrated democrat

A less than formidable candidate shows the DUP are running very short on front line troops.

Deidre Nelson will be less than chuffed that she has been overlooked for someone, whose main qualification seems to be a wedding ring without which she would have been unlikely to have been heard of.

Expect the TUV and CU’s to be rubbing their hands with glee, as their battle just got easier.

Curious

Who is the MLA who also submitted their name for nomination?

It must be embarrassing for them considering that not one is giving them a chance at all…

Serious question: what was her own family name? (or ‘maiden name’ if you want). None of the bio sites mention it – the DUP seem to have even removed her bio altogether from their site!

It was Sammy Mc Nally what done it

Bigger Picture,

“Surely the whole point is the DUP’s foot dragging actually deprives Jim of arguing that the Shinners are going to get their hands on p&j;, what’s his argument going to be otherwise? they aren’t selling out quick enough for my liking? ”

Jimbo’s arguement, and his best one is, the DUP are selling out (as the TUV see it ). Better to get it over and done with rather than telling everyone, as they did last week, that you are going to sell out and then coordinating your sell-out with an impending election.

Jimbo has the DUP by the short and Lundies on this one.

SF are relaxed about this as the DUP are getting on with things – should they start the funny stuff again – which is very unlikely – then Robbo knows his reign will be over.

Expense

Sammy

You said “Jimbo (who can be excellent in a debate) will take the quareone apart on telly on this issue if he gets a chance.
Tip to DUP: Dont let the quareone on to the same TV program as Jimbo.”
Do you not remember Jim on hearts and minds a few months back against Nelson McCaulsand? Nelson made Jim look like a fool. Jim had to resort to muttering through his nose, pointing the finger and rocking in the chair. His debating skills that night were poor for a QC.

It was Sammy Mc Nally what done it

Expense,

yes he was shite on that.

That why I said “can be excellent in a debate”.

He got the better of Deputy Dodsy on Lets Talk – partly to be fair, because Deputy Dodsy was unable to refute suggestions by Jimbo that the DUP would be climbing down from their not in a poitical liftime and the role of the Marty in judicial appointments.

She is actually called Deirdre Nelso. Strange how few people ere seem to able to get that right.

She’s one of Slugger’s favourite DUPers, a councillor from Ballymena IIRC, and one of the very few DUPers who seem to have ever lived outside NI (it tends to reduce your extremism if you do, so I don’t know what that says about Deirdre Nelson).

If I remember correctly the only people who got the better of Jim and Nigel was the general public. We were able to see how childish politicians are. Jim was there providing opposition for opposition sake. He also brought in some supporters to clap everything he said.

The Raven

Curious: does it matter?

All this confabulation about strategies this and debating that…when at the end of the day, people just get their bigot-heads on, and slap an X where they’re (mostly) told to.

Perhaps I should change my moniker to “Cynic II”…

Modernist

Sammy,

If I remember correctly the only people who got the better of Jim and Nigel was the general public. We were able to see how childish politicians are. Jim was there providing opposition for opposition sake. He also brought in some supporters to clap everything he said.

Posted by Expense on Jan 23, 2009 @ 09:48 PM

I also remember how David Mc Williams cut both to pieces for their childish shouting and roaring at each other

curious

Raven.

You are right it really doesn’t matter who stands for a big party as what will be will be for the reasons you state. This is no ordinary election for the DUP. They just don’t want a seat. They want to top the poll,and they want Jimbo to lose his seat. Lots to do for Mrs Dodds. The DEMOCRATIC UP have never been big on rules, regulations and procedures or to be blunt internal democracy. If they followed their own rules instead of making it up as they go along Ms Nelson would now be the DUP candidate. She must be wondering why she bothered with the paperwork of putting her name forward before the closing date.

jone

Yes Jim is intellectually superior to Diane but to put it delicately Jim can often seem less than 100% a member of the human race. I suggest that if Jim goes onto Hearts or Lets Talk and grinds Diane into the dust it will do him no favours among voters who don’t spend all day spazzing around on slugger (98.7% at last count)

Alex S

how many different families make up the DUP’s ‘top table’, it seems to be 4 if you include the McCreas, not a great foundation for the future

USA

It is well known the DUP is a party for the easily led and/or bigoted. Does is really suprise anyone that a party led by hypocrites should conduct internal matters in this manner? They are an embarrassment.

It was Sammy Mc Nally what done it

Jone

“I suggest that if Jim goes onto Hearts or Lets Talk and grinds Diane into the dust it will do him no favours among voters who don’t spend all day spazzing around on slugger (98.7% at last count) ”

Thats a fair point – if Jimbo goes over the top it will be counter-productive – BUT – if the DUPs position, particularly on a sensitive subject, is not presented properly, or Jimbo shows himself more in tune with Unionist feeling then it could be an issue – equally if the quareone looks poor it will surely have some impact – though very unlikely to change the outcome.

A shocking performance by some quarefellah in North Belfast (Cecil someboady?) on telly was suggested to have cost quite a few votes.

José

Hands off Portugal’s patron Saint!

Silver Line

A reasonable candidate makes a mockery of the line Allaister was taking the DUP were going to get a MP to take him on.

Bemused

Jone – ‘spazzing’? You ignorant and offensive cunt.

Ex Pat Pat

Yes, nice work, Bemused. Respond to one offensive and ignorant phrase with another – it’s the Northern Irish way.

jone

Bemused,

Perhaps ‘webmonging’ is a more suitable phrase?

autocue

It says a great deal about the arrogance of Turgon and the TUV that they seriously believe the next Euro-poll will be about Jim Allister.

Get over yourself.

Jim Allister will be a marginal figure. He’s going to come down to Earth with a crash in the election when he realises that. Whilst I have no doubt he has his cheerleaders on this site (a strange mix of far-rightists and liberal quasi-Unionists of th “CU” variety, whose sole shared belief seems to be hatred of the DUP), I think you will find that the wider electorate is slightly more, how shall I say this, normal than the bunch of anoraks (myself included) who occupy this site.

As for his supposed “intellectual superiority”. Even if he did possess such a thing over any of the candidates (which is questionable) the fact that he cant help but try and flaunt it in his bullying, hectoring, snide manner will alienate more people than it will win over.

amused

Not much work being done in Dundela this morning, Autocue? I am constantly surprised just how obsessed you are with a figure you see as “marginal”. Maybe that means you don’t really believe it yourself….

autocue

And I am always amused when TUV supporters assume that anyone who sees fault in their man must be working for the DUP. Paranoid or what?

ZoonPol

Is Mrs Dodds not a councillor?

autocue

Zoon

She is.

ZoonPol

Just looked her up on Wikipedia: wonder if she will at least give up being the Chief Whip there as distance may be preclude her from attending (HA)!
On a skewed subject i believe the UUP may have a second candidate for Europe.

fair_deal

Sam

“A shocking performance by some quarefellah in North Belfast (Cecil someboady?) on telly was suggested to have cost quite a few votes.”

The role of that programme was seriously over-estimated, the hammering was coming even if Walker had pulled an Obama that night.

Ulsters my homeland

Smart move by the DUP. I can see Allister shouting down Diane. She’ll win over support with her puppy dog eyes and her soothing motherly tone of voice. Maybe a bit of waterworks too!…LOL

The trap is set!

ZoonPol

Aha, the DUP’s use of the patronising card – so Mrs Dodds is being used not on merit but for her gender.

Blooper

ZoonPol

Whne was UMH appointed a DUP spokesman? Diane Dodds is a superior candidate to the others, if indeed she ends up as the candidate. That is why she will get elected. The fact that TUVvies are resorting to comments such as yours shows how scared they are.

autocue

Silver Line

“A reasonable candidate makes a mockery of the line Allaister was taking the DUP were going to get a MP to take him on.”

Excellent point.

ZoonPol

A councillor is a member of the ward that you represent: that person is the first rung on the ladder and eyes and ears of the neighbourhood. How can that same person ethically run for a full-time role as MEP and how can DUP members likewise vote for such a person as long as the duality continues?
In this economic climate can we all converge on an opinion that duel mandates are wrong.